10 weeks
from surgery to full walks
Biscuit is a beagle aged 7. His owner in Fairhaven was used to a morning walk that started the day. When Biscuit stopped using a hind leg as he always had, they came to Aoba Veterinary Clinic at 214 Alder Street. The clinic has been here since 2014, a general practice for dogs and cats, with surgery and dentistry in the same building. A first consultation is 30 minutes, so the opening conversation has room for a full examination rather than a glance between other tasks.
On that visit we watched how Biscuit stood and moved, and we listened to when the limp began. Cruciate ligament repair at the clinic is done by Dr. Samuel Osei, whose field is surgery and orthopaedics. He explained what the examination showed and what a repair would involve for this dog. Before any treatment, the owner received a written estimate. It covered the surgery, the anaesthetic and the monitoring, the pain relief, and the rehabilitation afterwards. The published fee list has eight lines and the prices include tax. A cruciate repair is not one of those lines, because the work depends on the dog. The figure Biscuit’s owner agreed was the figure written for him.
He came in on the day of surgery having followed the fasting times set for him. Fasting is agreed when the procedure is booked. We say when food should stop, and whether water is still appropriate, for that animal on that day. A nurse settled him. Dr. Osei carried out the repair, and a nurse stayed with the anaesthetic, watching heart rate, breathing and temperature. Biscuit then rested on a soft blanket in a recovery kennel until he was fit to travel. We told his owner how the anaesthetic had gone when he was discharged, and he went home with the notes and the pain relief already named on the estimate.
Those notes covered rest, the medicines prescribed for him, and what to watch for through the first night. A nurse called to ask how the first hours at home had been. After a visit, a nurse calls within 48 hours, and after surgery the nursing team remains the place for questions while healing is underway. Hannah Lindqvist, head veterinary nurse, leads that team. The phone, in opening hours, is +1 555 0142 300.
Rehabilitation sat with Malik Haddad, a veterinary nurse whose work is rehabilitation. His plan for Biscuit was specific to that beagle: short, calm sessions at home, real rest between them, and a pace set by how the repair felt, not by how keen Biscuit was to get through the door. The owner kept to the plan on the days when a beagle’s hope ran ahead of the leg. Every animal is different, so no date was promised at the start. This account is only what happened for Biscuit.
Ten weeks after the surgery he was back to full walks. By spring his owner said the sentence we keep with his story: “He was back on his morning walk by spring.” Those 10 weeks are his. Another dog with a cruciate injury may need a different operation, or a longer and quieter return to walking. We tell the story so the shape of one plan is visible, from the written estimate to Malik’s rehab, without turning one beagle into a forecast.
The other two records on our stories page are just as particular. Juniper, a cat aged 12, came with weight loss. Dr. Priya Nair found a thyroid condition and manages it with daily medication and checks every 3 months. Otto, a Labrador aged 8 months, had swallowed a sock. Dr. Tomás Ribeiro removed it by endoscopy, and Otto went home the same evening. None of the three is a template. They are the animals we saw, the clinicians who treated them, and the results those animals actually had.
If a limp lasts beyond 24 hours, or you are unsure whether a problem can wait, call us. A nurse will tell you whether it can wait. Urgent same-day slots are held each weekday. Out of hours, contact the regional emergency hospital. We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00–12:30 and 15:30–19:00, and Saturday, 9:00–12:30 and 15:30–17:00. Sunday and public holidays the clinic is closed. A visit can also be requested by email at hello@aobavet.example. Clara Moreau, reception and care coordinator, will help you find a time in the book.